Ecclesiastes 8

¹ Na only the wise know wetin things really mean. Wisdom dey make them dey smile and e dey make their bad look disappear.

² Make una do wetin king talk, and make una no make foolish promise to God.

³ The king fit do anything wey he like, so make una commot for him presence; make una no stay for that kind dangerous place.

⁴ The king dey act with authority, and no one fit challenge wetin he dey do.

⁵ As long as una obey him command, una dey safe, and wise person know how and when him suppose do am.

⁶ Right time and right way dey to dey do everything, but na little we know!

⁷ None of us know wetin go happen, and nobody dey wey go tell us.

⁸ Nobody fit stop to die or fit remove the day of death. Na the battle wey we no fit escape be that; we no fit cheat our way out.

⁹ I see all this when I think about all the things wey don happen in this world, a world where some people get power and others go need to suffer under them.

¹⁰ Yes, I don see wicked wey dem bury, but as dem dey come back from cemetery, people begin dey praise them for the city where dem do evil. Na vanity.

¹¹ Why people dey ready to commit crime? Because dem no dey receive punishment for the crime wey dem do on time.

¹² Sinners fit commit hundred crimes and still dey alive. Oh yes, I know wetin dem talk: "If una obey God, everything go dey all right,

¹³ But e no go better for the wicked. Their life be like shadow and dem go die young, because dem no obey God."

¹⁴ But this na nonsense. Make una look wetin dey happen in this world: sometimes the righteous dey get the punishment of the wicked, and the wicked dey get the reward of the righteous. I talk say na vanity.

¹⁵ So I dey sure say we should enjoy ourselves, because the only pleasure wey we get for this life na to dey chop and drink and make we enjoy ourselves. We fit at least do this as we dey labor during the life wey God don give us for this world.

¹⁶ Anytime wey I try become wise and learn wetin dey happen for this world, I realize say you fit stay awake for night and day

¹⁷ and no go fit understand wetin God dey do. No matter how hard you try, you no go ever find out. The wise fit claim say dem know, but dem no know.